Remembering "Old Jerusalem": Storytelling and the Politics of Sephardi/Mizrahi Cultural Revival

Abstract

Abstract This article interrogates the cultural politics of a series of storytelling performances in Jerusalem in light of an ongoing "revival" of Sephardi and Mizrahi Jewish heritage in Israel. An examination of performers’ on-stage narratives and interactions reveals three discursive approaches to defining authentic Jerusalem culture through descriptions of "old-time" lifeways: emphasizing the city’s cosmopolitan past; challenging contemporary social hierarchies in Israel via jabs at "Ashkenazim" and idealization of Sephardi culture; and through claims of underlying Jewish unity.